Simple question, I think.
I've got a cleric at 12th level. He wants to use a scroll of Holy Word. The effects of the scroll are highly dependent upon caster level. When using it (assuming I make the required caster level check), do I use my caster level of 12 for the effects, or the required caster level of 15 to use the scroll?
Thanks,
Brogue
You make a caster level check to see if you can even activate the scroll in the first place. If that fails but you avoid the mishap nothing happens, and you can try again.
If you succeed then the scroll is cast on the CL the scroll was created at, which generally is the lowest possible CL for the scroll.
However Holy Word is a 7th level spell, so normally teh CL for the croll is 13 (as is the DC for the CL check), not 15. If the scroll was however made at 15 then it's 15 for both.
If you succeed then the scroll is cast on the CL the scroll was created at, which generally is the lowest possible CL for the scroll.
Of course. Duh. That makes sense. It just seems . . . like an easy way to destroy things, especially considering Holy Word. At 9th level with a little luck I could literally kill almost anything.
However Holy Word is a 7th level spell, so normally teh CL for the croll is 13 (as is the DC for the CL check), not 15. If the scroll was however made at 15 then it's 15 for both.
Rrrrrright! Sorry, heh. Not used to playing at this high a level. Thanks oodles. :)
Just out of curiousity (and since it probably fits this thread anyway), say a guy is of a low caster level, like say a level 1 caster and tries to use a spell from a scroll that is a 3rd level spell (a spell in his class' spell list), is it a use magic device check or a caster level check?
You could do either. For a caster, it's generally more beneficial to make the caster level check than the UMD, unless your UMD is superb (and proportionately much better than your caster level check).
Just out of curiousity (and since it probably fits this thread anyway), say a guy is of a low caster level, like say a level 1 caster and tries to use a spell from a scroll that is a 3rd level spell (a spell in his class' spell list), is it a use magic device check or a caster level check?
Caster level check you can only make if all you're missing is the right level. You're a 5th level cleric and want to cast a 7th level cleric scroll for example.
If you don't have the spell on your spelllist etc, you have to use UMD.You can opt to use UMD too of course, but the DC is alot higher (20+casterlevel vs 1+casterlevel) so generally it's not a very good idea.
There is one advantage to using UMD though: With caster level check method and you fail, you have to do a DC 5 wisdom check (usually trivial), but a 1 on that auto-fails and results in a mishap. With the UMD method you don't have that risk.